Blue's Clues

Besides their pop-in-your-mouth sweetness and high does of antioxidants, blueberries may also help banish belly fat. 

In an animal study by E. Mitchell Seymour, MS, researcher and manager of the University of Michigan Cardioprotection Research laboratory, subjects lost abdominal fat and lowered their cholesterol when they ate a diet rich in blueberries - measured at about two percent of the diet even when they were on a high-fat menu. For the average women consuming about 1,700 calories each day, that two percent would translate to about two ounces of blueberries daily. researcher say that blueberries may change how the body stores glucose, or sugar, for energy. Of course, while fresh blueberries are in season during the summer, you can get the same nutrient benefit from frozen blueberries (Chilled at their peak of freshness) all year round.


Try a Blueberry Smoothie:  for an anytime pick-me-up and possible tummy tucker: Blend 1 cup unsweetened soy milk with 1 scoop vanilla flavored protein of your choice, 1 cup blueberries and 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed. 


from: Clean Eating

Keep Your Head Above Water

We took a look at what "enhanced" really means when water companies refer to aqua. Our finding left us thinking: Whatever happened to good ol' H2O?



Glaceau Smartwater: 
what gives you that extra push to walk the last miles or do that extra sit-up? Electrolytes - Minerals with an electric charge that your body uses to maintain blood chemistry and muscle energy. They exhaust when that water in your body depletes, which is why electrolytes are commonly found in sports drinks. But if you want to do away with the addition of sugar and the hefty price tag, try electrolyte infused Glacesu Smartwater for the crisp freshness of regular water without any additional crabs or sugar. 



Glaceau Vitaminwater in Essential: 
Glaceau pretty much hit a nutritional home run with smartwater, but vitaminwater is a strikeout. we reviewed essential, an orange-y drink that is touted as having nine essential vitamins and as much vitamin C per serving as a glass of orange juice. But it's long list of ingredients (the second being crystalline fructose) and high calorie count ( the most of all the drinks listed) made us wonder: why not drink CE-approved tropicana for a natural vitamin C kick instead? 


Crystal Light Natural Lemonade Flavor: 
With only five calories in a flavored glass, we wish we could have given Crystal Light our CE Seal of Approval,m but when the ingredients list looks like it could be swapped for a sour lollipop citric acid, lemon juice solids, acesulfame potassium (sweetener) artificial color, BHA (Preserves Freshness), Just name a few we had to pas. and when the label says it contains less than 2 percent of natural flavor, clean eaters know to resist.





Sobe Lifewater in Agave Lemonade: 
we are excited when we heard Sobe made enhanced water flavored with agave, but we got confused when we scanned the extensive ingredients list and agave was nowhere in sight. Finally, we spotted it under the nutritional umbrella of " natural flavor, " following water, sugar, erythritol ( a naturally occurring sweetener) and citric acid. So, in this case, "enhanced" seems more like a euphemism for "sweetened."




Propel in Lemon: 
Originally marketed as a fitness water alternative to sports drinks, Propel contains about 40 fewer calories than the typical post-exercise thirst quencher. But we were a little surprised to learn that a beverage meant for health and exercise buffs contains sucrose, calcium disodium EDTA ( a food additive) and sucrose. Not exactly items you'd find on our CE-approved list. 


By: Suzan Park, "Clean Eating"

Live Longer and Stronger Facts

Get Your Vitamin D- Study after study is pushing the sunshine vitamin to the top of the health charts. One of the latest, from Germany, shows that people who consume enough D could lower their risk of type 2 diabetes. Another found an association with low levels of vitamins D and advanced cancer. A new blood test can determine how much more vitamin D you can get from your diet. At your next physical, ask your doctor about the latest test.





Get Enough Sleep- We don't need another trigger to keep us up at night, but here's one: A new study in Circulation has found that insomnia could increase our risk of a heart attack. Other recent studies reveal that poor sleep quality is tied to high blood pressure. Since sleep habits and preferences vary, it's important to do whatever it takes. From drinking a glass of warm milk to turning off the computer at least an hour before bedtime to get adequate sleep.




From: Clean Eating, By Sarah Tuff